Robot 6

Comics A.M. | Graphic novel sales boost Books-A-Million profits

Comics sales | The bookstore chain Books-A-Million had an up year, and CEO Terrance G. Finley credited that in part to strong graphic novel sales, including The Walking Dead and kids’ graphic novels. [ICv2]

Digital comics | Wired runs down a handful of digital comics apps, noting both the pluses and the minuses of each one. [Wired]

Creators | Yehudi Mercado talks about his kid-friendly comic Pantalones, TX, which is filled with Saturday morning cartoon-style action, authority-questioning, and risky business: “I did purposefully envision Pantalones, TX as the anti-safety pad cartoon. I see my nieces and nephews growing up in a sheltered and sanitized environment, they don’t play outdoors at all. When I was a kid we shot fireworks at each other while playing in a bayou. I’m not saying that’s the right thing to do, but there should be a balance.” [Wired]

The Superior Spider-Man #3

Creators | TheSuperior Spider-Man artist Ryan Stegman talks about making his way up the comics ranks in an interview with Michigan public radio. [Michigan Radio]

Creators | Jane Espenson, co-creator of the Husbands webseries and co-writer of the spinoff graphic novel, talks about translating her creation to the page, the fan art (and cakes) she has seen, and how she got Neil Gaiman and Russell T. Davies to write a foreword and an afterword, respectively, for the book. [Screen Invasion]

Creators | Usually manga creator interviews are rather staid, but I had a great time talking to manga-ka Masakazu Ishiguro and his editor at Young King Ours magazine, Masahiro Ohno, about their comics and the manga life in general. [MTV Geek]

Retailing | Danville, Illinois, has a new comic shop, although it seems to focus heavily on collectibles; it was formed as a sort of merger of two other shops. [Commercial-News]

Retailing | On the other hand, Rocket Comics, the first comics shop ever in Menifee, California, looks like it will be pretty comics-oriented. [The Press-Enterprise]